Already Parted
by starsinjars
Summary: As they investigate the disappearance of Kuroba Kaito, Conan can't help but fall more and more in love. Too bad he's likely already dead.


Title: Already Parted

Summary: As they investigate the disappearance of Kuroba Kaito, Conan can't help but fall more and more in love. Too bad he's likely already dead.

A/N: So I asked for stereotypical teenage romance stuff because I'm writing a fic and I am not reading that shit and this bitch comes and says I shouldn't be writing because I don't want to read. BITCH I WILL CUT YOU.

Anyway, so I needed to write something because she just pissed me off.

I know a lot of my readers want my DC fics but those are hard especially since I'm not really into the fandom anymore. BUT I love you guys so much so here's a fic I had saved and decided to finish.

Hope you like it!

o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Conan, sitting on the couch and sipping his lemonade, gazed upon this girl who looks eerily similar to Ran and wondered why this woman would come to the Mouri Detective Agency.

Her tone for her endless string of words was of desperation. Her eyes were shining with the hope she refused to give up. "Please help me, he's been missing for days and I don't know who else to turn to." Her voice sounded hoarse, too worn out from all the crying she has done. She started mumbling incoherently to herself, too low for him to hear, before breaking off into a sob. Ran placed her arms around her for a quick hug that she clearly needed and to help since the boys wouldn't know what to do.

Conan turned back to Kogoro, who seemed to be thinking hard on something. He dismissed it as nothing important, probably still stunned that this girl had come in as such a mess, and decided to turn back to the two teenagers. Looking so similar to each other, it looked…odd. Throwing those creepy thoughts out the mental window to never see again, he lowered his interest in Ran and focused on the client again, who was still shaking. Conan looked up to her forlornly, wondering if she knew what she has done.

"I've done all that I could, and I know when to ask for help when I need it."

Didn't she know? That by coming here she had set the clock? Know of the curse that Mouri Kogoro was a shinigami?

Or Edogawa Conan, more specifically.

He took a long, loud sip from his lemonade. He'll run out soon.

"Tou-san, you have to help her," Ran said after their latest client calmed down some but didn't say anything else.

"But why me?" Kogoro asked, but his tone wasn't that of disinterest. Rather, it was of general concern. Perhaps he couldn't help but extend his feelings to her because she looked so similar to his own daughter. He continued, "I know you, you're Nakamori's daughter. Aren't I well known in the police force as a _'shinigami'_? Are you sure you want me on your case?"

Conan raised an eyebrow on that as he continued sipping his drink. More people died in his presence than in Kogoro's, but it didn't really matter at this point. However, for him to acknowledge it as such a reason to not take up this disappearance case…well, perhaps he's very soft on the daughter of the man in charge of the Kid Task Force. Not that Conan really had anything to say about it; death has become desensitized to him to a point where it doesn't matter. Death will always happen no matter how hard he tries to prevent it - but it's already been days. If anything, it'll be too late at this point.

"My father recommended you, saying that…" She shook her head. "He'll be able to break this _shinigami_ curse that this agency seems to have. He also said that you guys to a good job so it'll be best if… He can't be…" Aoko took a deep breath and caught the sob before it could escape. "Kaito can't be dead, he's much too clever for that."

Ah, so now they're moving.

Might as well speed this up along. To take the case or not, that all depends on the one in charge, which is Ran's father in this case. Conan removed his lips from the straw, making a soft popping noise that drew attention so that he wouldn't have to do it himself. "Onee-chan, is he the one you're trying to find?" he asked, adding a curious tone for the sake of asking a simple question. But that question was kind of obvious, so there's another thing he also wanted to know, for curiosity's sake and to show that he wasn't that stupid. "May I ask why you are searching for him instead of his family?"

After a slight hesitation, she answered, "His father is dead and his mother is in the States. I…we had an argument the last time we met and I don't know what to do with myself if that would be…our last…memory."

Kogoro groaned and all eyes turned back to him. He smacked his face, dragging his palm to wipe it before turning to Aoko. "Are you sure you want me to take up this case?"

She looked to him in the eye with a fierce look. "Please."

Kogoro got up from his chair, brushing and adjusting his suit. "Alright. Kuroba Kaito. I'll try my best."

Conan blinked before taking another sip. Kuroba, now why was that name so familiar? It's…like from a scattered dream or far-off memory from a long time ago, from when he was legitimately a child? No matter, it means nothing at the moment.

Aoko gave a small smile, which was lost on the Mouris as Ran went to check the window - but Conan caught it and the depressing quality it had, as if she had lost hope for the slightest second and was just keeping up an appearance. Everyone started heading for the door to leave and begin the investigation following Kogoro. Conan took a long sip that emptied the last of his lemonade before jumping off the couch and leaving with the others, tossing the cup away in the trash bin by the door on the way out.

The weather was no longer nice, and he had to make a dash to the car to avoid the sudden downpour. And as he got in the cab, Edogawa Conan could only hope that he hadn't just doomed Kuroba Kaito if he wasn't already.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"Please tell me all that you know about him." Kogoro told Aoko, who in turn reached into her bag and took out a picture, supposedly of the missing person in question. Conan couldn't see the picture but had already assumed enough, and the gasp from Ran made it obvious that his suspicions were right.

_He…looks…similar to me._

Best to give the benefit of the doubt.

Conan took out a piece of gum from his pocket and began to chew as Aoko continued with her hands in her lap, facing downward, "It was last Thursday. We had just finished school and he was getting ready for detention for the prank he had pulled on Tuesday. I asked him if he wanted me to wait for him, but he told me to go ahead. He wasn't really paying attention to me when I was talking to him though, it was either Hakuba-kun or Akako-chan I'm not so sure, so I got mad. He continued to brush me off when I couldn't take it and just left without another word. That night I felt bad for acting as I did even though it was his fault, but the next day he didn't show up for school." She started squeezing herself tightly, almost where Conan thought that blood would be drawn.

Conan blew a small bubble that shortly popped and he began to chew again. Hakuba, that name sounds familiar. Probably the blond detective from before since they were the same age and the name fits. Akako he doesn't know, but the two may have been close with the… Conan pouted. Uh, let's just use names? But wouldn't that be too informal and casual? Then again, calling him a "victim" may be a tad overkill…

The other two teens may have been close to Kuroba, so they will have to be investigated as well.

"I asked the both of them if they had seen Kaito, and both shook their heads. I decided to call, but no one picked up. I've been searching since then. My father noticed and suggested I enlist your help, regardless of your record."

"Is there anything you can tell us about Kuroba-kun, Aoko-chan?" Ran asked, placing her hand over Aoko's in an effort to ease her. She gave a chuckle that sounded a bit tight in Conan's opinion. "He wouldn't happen to be a mystery nut, would he?"

Aoko turned to her and gave a small smile. "No, but he's a magic and Kaitou Kid nut. I have some pictures." She began rummaging around in her bag and showed Ran and Conan some pictures she had taken of Kaito.

Conan looked at some of the photos from Aoko's phone. There's usually a puff of smoke somewhere in the pictures, but the cards and confetti confess that it's the basic magician act. He probably could have seen him at Ayumi's birthday party if her mother hadn't decided to hire a clown instead. Conan shivered; he never really liked clowns after he outgrew them. Going back to the magician profession. So. He's dexterous and tricky. Conan assumed that if Kuroba wanted to hide himself away for a while, he could probably do so rather well. Though he suspected that if that was the reason, he would have called Aoko and told her not to worry about him. But maybe that's just him. But this way, at least Ran knows he's safe and isn't investigating him.

Aoko's phone was in his fingers and as the car swerved along the road, he accidentally pressed a few buttons. "Gah, sorry, Aoko-onee-chan," Conan said as he tries to give her back her phone, only for the taxi to halt and it's time for everyone to get out of the car.

"Just give it to me when we go outside," she told him as she climbed out, and Conan waited, as he is to climb out last. He placed the phone by his neck since thanks to a certain someone there are holes in his pockets – Hattori thought it would a funny prank to place a few beetles in his pockets that ended up chewing through the stitching, and Conan just happened to be wearing these pair of jeans today as Aoko had made an impromptu visit. He placed the phone to his ear, being careful as he made his way out of the car – at least it stopped raining – when he heard the breathing from the other line.

"Aoko?" The voice was whispering very softly, and it sounded like there was an echo on the other side. "Why don't you ever answer your phone when I call you?! Listen. Whatever you do, do not open the package addressed to me or your father. Just please trust me on this. Please." Some loud crashes exploded in Conan's ear, making him wince and almost drop the phone. "I have to go. Don't forget what I said and please don't worry about me. " Conan didn't like his tone of voice; it sounded tired, winded, slightly scared, but most of all, _final_. There was such a long pause and the final sentence was spoken so softly, Conan almost missed it. "…I'm sorry." Then the line was dead.

"Conan-kun? What's wrong?" Aoko asked as she came back for her phone, Kogoro paying the driver and Ran waiting by the Police Station.

Conan was wide-eyed and breathless. What was that? A voicemail? How was he able to listen to it? Has Aoko already listened to it? "Ao-Aoko-onee-chan," he started, "I think I heard Kuroba-nii-san - "

She was checking the previous calls. "How did you manage to call my voicemail and put in my code?"

He was right. And he had no idea. "I-I don't know..."

Aoko gave him an odd look before just shaking her head. "I checked; there are no packages. And I received the call just before school started Friday, and the number's been out of service since."

The number's been out of service? Conan blinked, before trembling. "I have no idea, Aoko-onee-chan, I'm sorry."

She shook him off, instead placing the phone to her ear to listen to the voicemail. That must mean that she didn't know she had it. "It's not your fault."

Ran took Conan's hand. "Come on, Conan-kun, let's go."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

A/N: Behold my attempt to write a mystery. Sorry, it's been a while since I wrote these guys so I hope I did them well. Any comments, or even guesses as to what happened? I'd love to know what you guys think!

As always, thanks for reading!


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